The Vacation Solution
The Vacation Solution is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. ''It aired on February 9th, 2012. Summary Sheldon is forced to take a vacation by the university president. After a failed attempt at sneaking into work, Sheldon takes a cue from Richard Feynman and dabbles in biology at Amy's lab. She has him cleaning laboratory glassware and counting growth cultures in Petri dishes and failing at both tasks. Sheldon insists that with his intelligence he can do more. When Amy lets him try to dissect a brain, he faints after he cuts his thumb. Later he does go back to apologize after drinking virgin piña coladas in the Cheesecake Factory bar with Howard. Meanwhile, Bernadette's father wants Howard to sign a pre-nuptial agreement which he unfortunately hears about through the nerd grapevine. He's reluctant to sign, and tells her that he'll go talk to her father himself. When Bernadette explains her father still carries his police revolver, he decides to put off the discussion until after he's up on the International Space Station. At The Cheescake Factory bar, Penny sets both Howard and Sheldon straight. She tells Howard how lucky he is to have Bernadette and he should sign anything put in front of him. Sheldon gets scolded for fainting at the sight of a little blood. He claims that it is not a little cut and then faints again after showing it to Penny.Title Reference Title The title is derived from the solution to Sheldon's dilemma of where to have his forced vacation, and his soluton is working with Amy at her laboratory. Quotes '''Sheldon:' They tried to make Richard Feynman take a vacation, but he chose instead to expand his mind and learn something new. He went to work in his friend's biology lab. (aside to Howard) Richard Feynman was a famous American physicist—part of the Manhattan Project. Howard: Everyone in the world of science knows who Richard Feynman was. Sheldon: Now you do, too. ---- Howard: Isn't that just Feynman's idea? Sheldon: Ten seconds ago you never heard of him — now you're an expert. ---- Raj: ''Mr. Roper is dead? You can't just spring that on a guy!'' ---- Sheldon: (Carrying a tray of beakers) Here you go! This is now the only lab with glassware washed by a man with two doctorates and a restraining order signed by Carl Sagan. Amy: (Inspects a beaker) Soap spots! Wash 'em again. Sheldon:'' You're being ridiculous! Those are perfectly clean''. Amy: Sheldon, this beaker used to contain cerebral spinal fluid from an elephant that died of syphilis. If it's in fact, perfectly clean, drink from it! Sheldon:'' (Picks up the tray of beakers again) Biologists are mean!'' ---- Penny:'' Ha ha, you cut your thumb and fainted!'' ---- Sheldon: What do we start with? Slicing some genes? Clone a sheep? Perhaps grow a human ear on a mouse's back? Haha! ''(laughs) ---- '''Amy:' I'm excited to work with my boyfriend, it's gonna be romantic. Sheldon: Way to kill the mood. ---- Amy: Are we nervous, Dr. Cooper? Sheldon: ''No. What you see is a man trembling with confidence... 'Does the locus coeruleus usually bleed that much?'' Amy: ''No, but your thumb does.'' Sheldon: ''Oh dear!'' (faints) Amy: Yeah, YOU'RE a biologist. ---- Sheldon: ''I have plenty of experience in biology. I bought a Tamagotchi in 1998.'' ..And....it's still alive. ---- Sheldon: Excuse me, but you have Doctor Cooper in your lab! Are you gonna make him do the dishes? That's like asking The Incredible Hulk to open a pickle jar. ---- Raj: No 'hi Raj!', no 'how are you, Raj?', just straight to 'Where's the other white guy?'? Trivia *Joshua Malina, who plays President Siebert, last appeared during Season 4 's The Benefactor Factor. This is his second appearance on the show. *In The Peanut Reaction, Howard gets Leonard an autographed copy of The Feynman Lectures on Physics as Sheldon partly complains about gift giving on hearing this, so Sheldon's assertion of Howard's complete ignorance regarding Feynman in The Vacation Solution is inconsistent. Yet, the matter can be attributed to "Sheldon’s patented blend of condescension" (as Howard mused in The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition), for Sheldon ignores Howard's claim that every scientist in the world knows of Feynman. * In The Luminous Fish Effect, based on the work of Japanese scientists, Sheldon inserts DNA from luminous jellyfish into a goldfish, successfully creating a fish nightlight. He also reveals his idea of what DNA would look like in a silicon-based life form. In The Bad Fish Paradigm, he refers to the folding of an energy-based ''de novo'' protein in conformational space. In The Griffin Equivalency, Sheldon references his childhood studies in recombinant DNA technology. In The Alien Parasite Hypothesis, he participates in a differential diagnosis. Hence, it isn't the field of biology in general that he lacks skill in, but it is the physical practice of biology in a lab that seems to give him difficulty. * Sheldon visited Amy's lab previously in The Alien Parasite Hypothesis. * Bernadette's father still has his gun, as a fashion statement, even though he is retired as a police officer. She also says that he is racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and hates Jimmy Carter, gardeners, Sean Penn, the Second Vatican Council, gun control, organic food, the designated Hitler rule and recycling. * The Wolowitz's have adjoining plots in the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery, next to Norman Fell's. * Sheldon won't go to Hawaii, as it was the place of the finale of LOST, has active volcanoes and is a former leper colony. He also won't go to Florida because he went there on a family vacation and a seagull took his hotdog (see The Ornithophobia Diffusion for other bird incidents). * Penny sees sex as a valuable tool for manipulation. * This is the first time we hear Sheldon laugh properly, which is over a physics Mad-lib. The only other time he has laughed like that is when Leonard made a multiplication error. Leonard says that isn't funny as it was published. * Amy is one of the few characters in the show who has shown little toleration for Sheldon's narcissism and condescension, seeing how she makes him apologize for his rude behavior. * The locus coeruleus, which Amy is working on removing from a brain in her lab, is found in the pons, which is located in the brainstem, and is involved with physiological responses to stress and panic. Amy compares the width of the LC to that of a single human hair, the diameter of which ranges from 17 to 181 µm (millionths of a meter). Gallery S5EP16 - Amy in her lab.jpg|Amy in her lab S5EP16 - Shedlon in Amy's lab.jpg|Sheldon cutting open a brain S5EP16.jpg|Sheldon spends his vacation working with Amy The Vacation solution Shamy at the lab.jpg|Sheldon's work at Amy's laboratory includes washing beakers The Vacation solution Shamy at the lab 2.jpg|Amy is not satisfied with Sheldon's work The Vacation solution Shamy at the lab 3.jpg|Sheldon thinks Biologists are mean The guys in the cafeteria.png|The guys in the cafeteria, where Sheldon is almost rolling with laughter Sheldon laughing.png|Sheldon laughing over his silly joke President Siebert adresses Sheldon.png|President Siebert addresses Sheldon about the vacation time he has to take Leonard alone in his car.png|Leonard, alone in his car, singing to a Black Eyed Peas track Sheldon in the back of Leonard's car.png|Sheldon appears in the back of Leonard's car Sheldon in disguise.png|Sheldon in "disguise" The girls in Penny's apartment.png|The girls in Penny's apartment, going over wedding invites At the guys' apartment.png|Back at the guys' apartment Penny and Leonard meet in the hallway.png|Penny and Leonard meet in the hallway Sheldon getting ready to work in Amy's lab.png|Sheldon getting ready to work in Amy's lab Sheldon and Amy move on to other work.png|Sheldon and Amy move on to other work Sheldon looking through the microscope.png|Sheldon looking through a microscope Sheldon goes back to Amy's lab.png|Sheldon goes back to work at Amy's lab Video 342px|The Vacation Solution Promo {C 342px|left|The Vacation Solution Sneak Peek Reference Based on the taping report generously provided by the user'' ennaxor.'' 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